THE KITE RUNNER Reviews

Theatermania is Negative:

"I'm sort of baffled by the stage adaptation of The Kite Runner at the Helen Hayes Theatre. Not that it exists; the dramatic bones within Khaled Hosseini's beloved and bestselling novel are strong and worthy. But Matthew Spangler's script is just so clumsy, and Giles Croft's production (which originated at the Nottingham Playhouse and Liverpool Everyman in England in 2013 before moving to the West End years later) is just so bland, that I couldn't help but wonder why this is the theatricalized version of the material that a group of more than two-dozen producers chose to take to Broadway."

https://www.theatermania.com/broadway/reviews/review-the-kite-runner-broadway_94063.html

Curiously, the first thing that came into my mind upon seeing the subject was "Limelight Mike". Whatever happened to him?

Well, the Daily Beast review makes many very good points about the show. The show's treatment of these issues opens itself up to charges of exactly the kind of homophobia the review talks about, and it's a pity that nobody concerned with the show apparently bothered to think about what exact message they were sending.

Updated On: 7/22/22 at 09:21 AM

I saw The Kite Runner yesterday at the matinee performance. Please don't let the negative reviews dissuade you from seeing this beautiful production. The plot, indeed, was heavily narrated by the main protagonist, but despite that, I was heavily invested in the story the entire time and was pulled in immediately through the superb talent of this entire cast. I heard so many gasps and "ohhs" and sniffling from tears in the audience during the play's most dramatic moments, validating that the audience was just as emotionally invested as I was. I might also add that the cheering and applause from the audience at the end of the show was the most energetic and enthusiastic I've seen in a long time. The audience clearly loved it, while the critics were clearly determined to hate it. I highly recommend this wonderful production.

While I think a lot the Daily Beast article is an overreach, I saw the show today and I definitely do agree with their assessment of Amir becoming "a whining, annoying, self-justifying coward for the rest of the play until its closing moments."

I will say this, the show moved quickly. But with so much to cover, there was never time to actually feel anything, and it made every reveal just feel so much like soap opera, especially in the hammy, often weirdly loud moments, where the bland acting raised the volume in an attempt to "feel something." There were some nicely constructed moments, but few and far between. And the actors, while appealing, felt very under-directed. Some rose above the lack of direction. Others didn't. In the end, it just felt kind of, "okay, it's time to go home now."

While I was underwhelmed, the audience seemed to dig it, oohs and gasps and all. I have to say I never read the book or saw the movie, so while I was on the road fresh, nothing really felt like a surprise. And if there was, all I could think about was, "Oh great, how is Amir going to make this about him and yet not learn anything from it?" So back to that DB quote, how are we supposed to feel for this guy? Maybe if us newbies got more than the Cliff Notes of this show, we'd see why we're supposed to care.

I am selling two orchestra seats on the aisle for the September 21st evening performance. If anyone is interested, please PM me.